Demon Child
by SilverGhostKitsune
Summary: What happens when Kurama's mom has a friend from college that moves from america to japan and has a demonic daughter, literally OCx?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: **I no own Yu Yu so you no sue sue!**

Check out my other fic. It is called The New Kunochi.

Chapter 1: Shuichi and Tara

"_Alone. That's all I'll ever be" _thought a girl of about 16 while staring out the car window. She had waist-length brown hair with blonde highlights and amber eyes. She was wearing black jeans and a blue top with the word REBEL written across the front in crimson. Her shoes were black New Balances.

"Tara, are you even listening". A lady who looked to be 30 with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes sat driving the car.

"Yes Mom, I am listening. I didn't want to move here in the first place so why do I have to adjust?" Tara continued to stare out the window as an exasperated look crossed her mother's face.

"You never know honey. You might just learn to love it here in Tokyo" (AN: I am sorry but I forgot which city in Japan that the Yu Yu cast lives in.)

"Yeah, whatever".

"Oh, before I forget! There is an old college buddy of mine that I want you to meet. She and her son are eating dinner with us tomorrow so I would like you to dress up nicely please". Tara rolled her eyes and sat in silence. Her mom looked at her punk daughter and sighed. _"Maybe I shouldn't have moved her"_ she thought.

30 minutes later

The black Honda Hybrid pulled into the driveway of a huge 3 story mansion. Tara stepped out of the car with her jaw to the floor.

"Mom! How did you afford this!"

"Simple. It was your great-grandfather's long ago. I inherited it after he...passed on".

"Kami! It's huge. I hope I get a map." The younger girl ran to the front stoop and opened the door. Stepping into the foyer, she gaped at the size of it. To her left was a large mahogany staircase. To her right was a large blue and white living room and past that was apparently a kitchen. Tara walked up the stairs and saw a long pale blue hallway that seemed to go on and on forever.

"Tara! Your room is up the stairs and 3 doors down on the right." Tara walked to her room and opened the door.

"Holy freaking crap! It is huge." Her room was large with midnight blue walls (AN: her ggfather must love blue!) and a lighter blue ceiling. A large silver wolf decorated the wall across from the king-size bed. The blankets on the bed were black with a large blue-white crescent moon in the middle. On the opposite side of the bed was a large set of French doors with black curtains. On the left side of the doors was a nightstand with a silver gooseneck lamp. On the right of the doors was a desk with a flat screen computer. Tara turned to her left and saw a huge cherry wood dresser. Then she turned to her right and saw closet doors that were the same color as the ceiling. Opening them, she saw all her clothes and realized her closet was as big as her old room.

"I hope you don't mind that I already had your clothes put away." Tara's mom came to stand next to her wide-eyed daughter.

"Mom, this is the biggest room I have ever seen and it is in the coolest design ever! How did the designers know I love wolves?"

"They didn't. This room was done by your great-grandma. You look so much like her." Tara hugged her mom and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out some pink pajama pants and a black spaghetti strap tee.

"The bathroom is right across from your room. The towels are under the sink."

"Thanks Mom."

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Tara lay on her bed. _I wonder what Mom's friend is like. I hope she and her son are nice. Kami, moving is so hard. Now I have to build up my reputation as a bad girl all over again! Damn it! Just great! I hate having to start over. Just newer ways to get hurt._ Tara fell asleep.

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Dream Sequence

Tara stood in a pine forest that was covered in snow. She stepped forward only to fall over. _What the crap!_ She looked down to see that she was no longer human. She had 4 legs and was covered in silver fur. Looking into a near-by puddle, she gasped as 2 wolfish amber eyes gazed back. _OMG! What has happened to me?_

A lonesome howl shattered the silence of the night. Tara ran toward it as fast as she could, long graceful legs gliding across the frozen earth. As she neared a small clearing, a bright light spread across everything. She saw a mysterious figure in the center of the clearing. But before she could reach them, she felt like she was being pulled backwards.

End Dream

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Tara shot out of her bed, drenched in sweat. She raised her hand to her forehead. _What a weird dream. I looked exactly like the wolf on my wall, but that is just plain out crazy! I need a shower. _Tara stood up and stretched. She walked out of her room and into her bathroom. The walls were covered in a jungle styled wallpaper and the tub was almost the size of a Jacuzzi. The shower curtain was Forest green with leopards and panthers lying in trees. Tara stepped out of her pjs and into the shower.

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"Hey Mom" Tara said as she wandered into the kitchen. Her outfit consisted of tight flared jeans and a black tank top. Sitting at the large cedar table, Tara sniffed the air. "Are you cooking bacon?" Her mom looked up from the stove.

"I thought you might want a good breakfast after you slept for so long. It is nearly noon and we have yet to fully unpack." Tara looked up from the plate her mom just set in front of her.

"What's the rush?"

"I told you that my old friend from college was coming over with her son this afternoon. We have to get everything unpacked before they get here."

"Ok then, I'll start unpacking the living room stuff." Tara finished the last scrap of bacon and walked out of the kitchen. _Where to begin... Oh, I know! I'll start with the lamps and figurines._ Tara walked over to a box labeled "Fragile! Lamps and Figurines." Opening it, she found dozens of paper wads. After opening one she saw it was a small white bear holding a red ball with a green scarf wrapped around its neck. "Awwww, this one is one of my favorites.

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"Whew! Done at last. Now I need a shower." Tara stood up from her crouched position and walked up the stairs, taking them 2 at a time. She walked into the bathroom and grabbed her towel. After throwing her clothes in the laundry basket, she hopped in. She scrubbed her hair with the Aussie shampoo (AN: I love the smell of that stuff. Makes my hair soft too! lol) on the side of the tub and used black raspberry vanilla body wash from bath and body works.

Stepping out of the shower, wrapped in the green towel, Tara strolled to her room. Realizing that she had to dress nicely for tonight, Tara looked for her black dress. "Ah ha, I found it!" Tara slid it over her head and looked into her full length mirror that was hanging inside the closet, on the door. The silky cotton dress hugged her body nicely, not too tight and not too loose. It came to little over the knees and it had spaghetti straps. "Perfect"

"Tara! They're here!" Tara barely had time to slide on some black strappy sandals before her mom called her down. Tara ran as fast as she could down the stairs and slowed to a quick gait as she neared the door. Her mom opened the door to reveal (AN: I forgot what Kurama's mom looks like cause I haven't seen the show in years, so please bare with me as I try to get it right!) a tall kind-looking woman with black hair and hazel eyes and a boy about around16 with the most shocking green eyes and the most brilliant red hair Tara's ever seen.

"Shiori! Oh how are you?" Tara's mom rushed forward to embrace her old friend.

"Oh I'm good. How about you Suki?" Shiori looked at Suki and then glanced over at Tara.

"Fine. I'd like you to meet my daughter. Shiori, this is Tara. Tara, meet my bestest friend ever, Shiori." Tara stepped forward and shook hands with her mom's friend.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs..."

"Minamino"

"Mrs. Minamino"

"Oh who is this" Suki called to Shiori while looking at the young man at the door. Shiori turned to her friend.

"That is my son, Shuichi." In response, The boy called Shuichi, stepped into the foyer.

"Hi. It is nice to finally meet my mom's friend." He held out his hand to Suki.

"Nice to meet you too Shuichi. Now come along! Dinner is ready." Suki led everyone to the dining room next to the kitchen. _OMG! I can't believe I get stuck with this goody 2 shoes. That is just so unfair, but he is pretty hot._

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"And then...and then, she fell on her butt in the middle of the cafeteria!" The 2 older women began to hyperventilate from laughing so hard. Tara stood up.

"I'm going to the garden. See ya later Mom." Tara began to walk towards the exit to the living room.

"Oh, why don't you take Shuichi with you?" Tara's hands clenched together.

"Fine. Whatever." Shuichi got up from his seat and strolled over to Tara. Holding out his arm he said "Shall we?" Tara ignored the gesture and continued walking by.

As they reached the back doors, Tara stopped and looked over her shoulder to the boy behind her.

"You know you don't have to pretend to be polite." Shuichi just blinked at her.

"Who said I was pretending."

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"Honestly, I have never seen my mother laugh like that. Have you Tara?" The 2 stood in the center of a small clearing, gazing at the moon.

"Nope." _This guy is really mysterious. I wonder what he's thinking about._

_This girl has a strange ki to her. It is like a blue-black mist of darkness is surrounding her. I wonder if she knows she is a demon._

"Do you believe in demons?" Shuichi looked at this strange girl. Tara looked deep into his eyes, unknowingly to her, sending shivers up and down his spine. _She has the eyes of a wolf. Beautiful, fiery amber._ (AN: I love wolves! I know not all wolves have amber eyes so don't correct me on it please)

"Not really. My Grandma used to weave these fantastical tales of a wolf demoness that had fur like silver and could call the forces of fire and air to do her bidding. She used to swear that they were true, but I couldn't believe them. Why do you ask, Shuichi?"

"No reason, just wondering." _I guess she doesn't know. Maybe I should take her to Genkai. I should also tell the others. She needs training..._

"I've been having some really weird dreams lately, though." Shuichi looked at Tara as she mentioned her strange dreams.

"What about?"

"Well, they start off as me standing in a snowy coniferous forest. I look over into a near-by puddle to see a silver wolf with amber eyes looking back. I hear a haunting howl and I begin to run towards it. As I get to a clearing, a mysterious shadowed figure is in the center. I start to head towards it, but a bright light engulfs everything and I wake up sweating."

"How long have you been getting these dreams?"

"I used to get them once in a blue moon when I was little, but ever since I've moved here, I've gotten them at least once a week. The dreams scare me, but at the same time they fascinate me." Tara continued to gaze at Shuichi.

_I definately need to get her to Genkai. God, her eyes are captivating. _Shuichi tore his eyes away from hers and stood up. "I think I should go now. My mom would want to leave soon. It was nice meeting you. I will see you at school tommorow?"

"Yes, I think you will. Bye Shuichi."

"Bye Tara."

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SGK: Wow, I think that was the longest chapter I have ever written.

Aya: Review please!

SGK: Yes please do. Also, I have another fic out. Feel free to check it out. I already have the pairing ideas in my head so please don't ask me for specific ones in this fic. I am open to pairing ideas for new fics though!

Aya: pushes SGK out of room See ya next time fans!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, I wouldn't have to write fan fics!**

Lingo

"Blah" Talking

'Blah' mind talking/ talking in your head, someone quoting someone else directly, or a title of someone that someone else is talking about.

_Blah_ thinking

Chapter 2: Over the River and Through the Woods, to Genkai's House We Go.

Dream

Tara stood in a frosty winter forest, wearing a burgundy coat that fell to her feet and a black scarf that was just as long. _Where am I now? This looks different from the usual dream._ Tara turned in a wide circle, causing her scarf to kick up a cloud of snowy powder. She began to wander through the new dream universe touching every tree trunk as she walked by.

_This is so weird. Normally I'm a wolf and I would have heard a howl by now._ Suddenly she came across a clearing. In the center, a large black wolf stood looking at the sky. Tara stopped in mid-step. The large wolf swung its head to regard the girl with indifferent blue eyes.

'What are you doing, wandering in the cold? You are a silly little whelp'.

"I beg your pardon? I am not a whelp. I am 16 and a half years old thank you very much". The large wolf pounced on Tara, lip raised in a silent snarl. Tara's eyes widened to dinner plates.

'You are a whelp in my eyes. Do not disrespect your elders, pup!'

"I'm sorry!" With that said, the wolf got off of her quickly and shook his thick, midnight fur clear of any snow. Tara stood and dusted herself off. She turned to the wolf and opened her mouth to speak. "Do you have a name. I don't want to have to call you IT for the rest of the time being."

"My name is Nightstalker" the wolf growled out loud. "I am going to continue talking in mind speak though."

"What's 'mind speak'?" Tara looked at the wolf, confused. The wolf fixed his icy gaze on her.

'This is mind speak. It is where one communicates with another through the mind instead of through the mouth. No more questions! For now you have to go. Remember: keep your ears up and your nose to the wind. Just howl when you need help and I'll come. Good-bye Little One'. The large wolf disappeared into the wind.

End Dream

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"Tara, time for school" Mrs. Kaita yelled from down stairs. (AN: I don't know any good last names so I just randomly made one up. Please don't laugh at it. BTW-This is Tara's mom!) Tara, who currently lay under her large black blankets and only seen as a lump in the middle of the bed, shot up out of the covers.

"Holy crap! I got school today. Damn that sucks." She ran to the bathroom and jumped into the shower.

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Tara ran out the door and onto the sidewalk. "Bye Mom" she yelled. She wore blue jean flares with a chain dangling from the pocket. Her shirt was a bright yellow tee that had a black phoenix on the front with a sword clamped in its claws and said "Dare to live, Dare to love, Dare to laugh, and Dare to die" in blood red ink on the back. Her shoes were black converses (chucks!) with acid green laces. Around her wrist was a black leather bracelet with a rose design imprinted on the band.

"Great! Today is just not my day" Tara said as she tied her long hair into a pony tail. She ran as fast as she could towards the nearing school. Just as she arrived at the stairs to the front, the late bell rang. _Damn it! So much for grand entrance._ She walked to the office.

"Oh, I guess you're Tara" a lady said from behind the front desk. She had short black hair and was wearing a typical secretary outfit, knee-length black skirt, matching white top and a black and white sweater. A name tag said that her name was Mrs. Yaruka. "Well here is your schedule and books you'll need. To get to your first class, just walk straight down that hall and the third class on your right will be it" Mrs. Yaruka said, pointing to the hall across from the office.

"Thanks" Tara said as she grabbed her stuff and left. _Great, now what did she say about my class. Oh, here it is._ Knowing from experience with picky teachers, Tara politely rapped on the door with her knuckles.

A large, portly man opened the door. "Ah, you must be the new student. Come on in. My name is Mr. Haikata." He stepped back and to the side to let Tara in. _Does every damn teacher know about me! Geeze._

As she passed the threshold of the door, all eyes turned towards her and the room buzzed with the silent excitement radiating off the student body.

"So tell us about yourself Ms..."

"My name is Tara. I like rock and roll. I like wolves and dogs. I hate sluts, players, and people who don't know how to act right. I know Tae Kwon Do, so don't mess with me. I'm a pyromaniac and I like solitude. Don't try to be my friend cause I don't need any. That's pretty much it." Tara turned to the empty seat in the back of the room and walked to it. As she sat down, she grabbed out her blue Ipod and slid her headphones on.

The class was dead silent as she did this. Coughing to draw their attention, the teacher began his lesson on DNA.

"Damn she's a little firecracker!" A boy with black hair and a green jump suit said, nudging our very own Shuichi. "I'm glad Keiko forced me to come to class today, huh Kurama."

"Yeah sure Yusuke." _She seems different today._

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Brrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnnngggg! The bell signaled the end of class.

"Remember to turn in your essay about DNA mutations in on Thursday!" Tara walked out the door. Just as she got about 5 feet away, an arm latched onto her wrist. Tara spun around, ready to attack the owner of the stray arm and stopped, staring into familiar green eyes.

"Shuichi! What the hell! You gave me a heart attack. Please don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry. I just thought you wouldn't hear me if I yelled so I did the next best thing. What's with the attitude? When I last met you, you were all nice and...well, girly."

"I was just doing that for my mom. Hate to burst your bubble, but this is the true me." Suddenly, the green suited boy called Yusuke jumped into the conversation.

"Hey Kurama! Care to introduce me?"

"What? Who's Kurama? Shuichi, what is this guy babbling about?" Kurama and Yusuke's faces both turned to a sour look.

"Oh it is just a silly nickname. Don't worry. This is Yusuke. Yusuke, this is Tara. Her mom was college roommates with her mom."

"Nice to meet you Tara."

"Whatever, just don't mess with me." Tara turned and walked off down the now empty hall. She barged out of the doors at the end and ran towards the forest behind the school. (AN: I changed the way the school and people are cause I need it to fit my story so hope ya don't mind!)

_Good. I lost them. Now I can meditate. I seriously need to learn some people skills though._ Tara sat down under a large Sakura tree that was full of tiny pink blossoms. Crossing her legs, she rested her hands on her knees and closed her eyes.

_Breathe in...Breathe out...Clear the mind._ Her breaths slowed to far from normal as a chilly gust of air knocked several petals from the tree. Unbeknownst to her, another set of eyes watched her still figure. Purple eyes regarded her form with something close to fatherly love. Suddenly, the mysterious figure's pointed elf-like ears picked up someone's steps on the sun dried ground.

Shuichi strolled through the woods, trailing Tara. _I hope that she is ok._ He abruptly sensed a demon's ki and picked up his pace. _Damn that girl for running off. God I hope she's ok or else Genkai'll kill me for not bringing her over sooner._ Shuichi skidded to a halt as Tara came into view. _Oh thank God!_ Shuichi silently walked over to where the living statue was sitting.

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Meditation state

Tara felt something large in front of her, but she couldn't see. Black fog swirled around her. _Where am I? This has never happened before._ Swiftly, Nightstalker appeared.

'Hello young kit, how are you?'

'A little worried. This has never happened to me before when I meditated. Why now?'

'Your true form is awakening. Seek the old one at the top of the mountain. She can guide you.'

'What do you mean? I'm tired of these silly riddles. Say what you mean!' Nightstalker growled at the angry girl as she yelled at him.

'You must walk before you run. Learn patience. I shall see you later whelp.'

'Bye Nightstalker.'

End State!

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Tara opened her eyes and saw Shuichi looking at her funny.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I've just never seen someone able to meditate for so long, except Genkai and Hiei."

"Who and Who?"

"Just some friends of mine. I would like to take you to Genkai though."

"Now!"

"Yes." Shuichi stood up and offered Tara a hand. She grasped it and Shuichi tugged. Apparently he did it too hard because Tara crashed into him and he had to pretty much wrap his arms around her to keep them both from falling. His arms had wound around her waist and her hands were planted on his chest.

"Sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength." Shuichi said, blushing. A slight rosy color bloomed on Tara's face as she realized how awkward of a position they were in. She stepped back and began walking towards the school.

"Are you going to show me where this friend of yours lives or am I going to have to guess" she shouted over her shoulder. Shuichi had to run to catch up.

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"How. Long. Do. We. Have. To. Walk." Tara panted as Shuichi continued to walk down the trail that they had been on for an hour already. Shuichi turned to look at the exhausted girl.

"If your tired we can rest or I could just carry you." Tara stood straight.

"There is no way your carrying me!" Shuichi walked over to her and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Tara squirmed in his grip and pounded her fists on his back.

"Put me down now!"

"No. I don't want you passing out before we get to Genkai's." Growling, Tara crossed her arms and pouted. They walked like this for another half hour before Shuichi stopped. Tara turned her head as best as she could and was surprised to see a very large river winding across their path.

"How are we supposed to cross that?" Tara said as the boy set her down.

"Well, I am sure there is a bridge around here..." Shuichi's sentence was cut short by a loud splash. He turned to see Tara swimming across the rapids. _She'll never make it all the way, unless she was in demon form._ However, he was shocked to see her begin to reach the shore on the opposite side. Suddenly she slipped on the muddy slope and went under the foaming white rapids. _Damn! Kami please don't let her drown._ Shuichi dove into the water and gasped at the temperature.

"For it to be early fall, it is really cold." He unexpectedly saw Tara's head pop up 5 ft. from where he was. He paddled over to her and saw she was barely holding her own against the pounding water.

"Tara, hang on!" Shuichi shouted over the roar of the rapids. Tara turned glossed over eyes to the boy that was now grabbing on to her waist. Shuichi began dragging her over to the shore and managed to find a less slippery slope. He pulled Tara and himself out of the water. Tara lay limply on the slippery grass. Shuichi gasped for air and glanced over at her.

"Tara, are you ok?"

Coughing, she turned her head to face the boy and smiled. "I'll live." She sat up to prove her point.

"Don't do stupid things like that again, ok? Your mom would kill me if anything happened to you." Tara glared at Shuichi.

"Why? I thought I could make it and I would've if I hadn't slipped."

"Never mind. We should continue to Genkai's. I fear there is going to be a storm soon." Tara and Shuichi stood up and the boy continued to lead the way to the temple that was now in sight.

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Tara gazed up the large staircase in awe. She was too mystified to realize that her companion was waiting for her to follow him.

"Tara, are you coming?" Snapped out of her thoughts, Tara trudged up the stairs after Shuichi. The two of them walked up the stairs for what seemed like hours. Suddenly Tara squeaks in delight and flies past the boy. (AN: not literally geeze! lol)

"Come on pokey! I see the top of the stairs" After hearing this, Shuichi picked up his pace.

As the two teens topped the stairs, a mysterious voice called out to them.

"Welcome Kurama. I see you've brought a friend with you." Tara searched the room only to have her eyes land on a short, pink-haired woman who looked old enough to be her great-grandmother.

"What is with everyone calling him Kurama? His name is Shuichi!" Tara shouted at the old woman.

"Sit down Child! Apparently Kurama and Yusuke didn't tell you, so I guess I'll have to." The lady beckoned to a nearby table and chair set. Tara plopped down in the seat and glared at the bossy lady.

"My name is Genkai. I'm sure Kurama hasn't told you what I really am, has he?" Tara shook her head and cast a suspicious look at the boy. "Well, I am a psychic. Your friend here is not really Shuichi. He is really the famous thief kitsune, Yoko Kurama. Several years ago he was almost killed, but he hid himself inside the body of a ningen baby, meaning he was inside a human baby. That baby grew into Shuichi Minamino. That is who stands next to you now."

Tara stood up and backed away fearfully. "That can't be. Demons don't exist. How can I believe you?" Genkai raised a hand for silence. She stood up and walked over to the terrified girl and stared into Tara's amber eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don't know what lies you've been told, but they are wrong. You yourself are a demon. A very rare and powerful one at that. A wolf demon. One who is related to the infamous 'Shyrikon of the White Desert'. I am surprised you don't know your own heritage." (AN: I am making this up as I go so please don't laugh! And I am now going to refer to Shuichi as Kurama for simplicity's sake!)

Kurama's eyes widened when he heard the name Shyrikon. The infamous wolf demon ruled the white tundra that was out of the northern ruler of Makai's border. He was known to be a ruthless, bloodthirsty demon with fur that was as dark as the midnight sky and red eyes that were just as cold! _There is no way she is related to him! I can't believe that. _

"You're joking right. Shuichi, please tell me this is one big joke." Kurama sadly shook his head.

"I'm sorry Tara, but we're not kidding."

"To prove we aren't, Kurama, Please change form." Kurama slowly changed from the kind looking red head to the fierce looking Yoko Kurama. Fangs poked out from his lip, a long silver tail wrapped behind him, hair turned to silver, and his eyes turned colder. Tara took one glance at the stranger and took off running. "Tara, wait!" Kurama changed back and ran after the fleeing girl.

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Tara ran through the woods, thorns digging into her arms, legs, and face. _I can't believe him. This isn't fun anymore. Now I don't know what to think. Damn him for dragging me into this mess! I don't even know if I can call him Shuichi anymore._ Tara's thoughts came to a halt as she crashed into a short, black haired man with a white starburst in the middle. (AN: 2 guessed as to who it is!)

"Stupid ningen onna! Watch where you're going." He stood up to look at the fallen over girl while dusting himself off.

"What! Why don't you watch where you're going shrimp!" The stranger glared daggers at Tara and pushed her to the ground with a hand wrapped around her neck as a katana came out of nowhere to point at her neck.

"Insolent little whelp! You will watch how you talk to me." Suddenly something inside Tara's mind snapped. Her eyes went from fearful to blazingly angry. With some unknown strength, she threw the man into a nearby tree trunk and stood over him.

"Don't ever call me a whelp!" With that, she turned and continued running from her original pursuer.

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"What are you doing on the ground Hiei?" The short fire demon glared upside-down at Kurama.

"Some little ningen threw me with godly strength!" Kurama looked incredulously at Hiei.

"No, seriously. What happened."

"I'm telling you the truth. I didn't expect it so here I am. The girl had the strangest aura and the weirdest amber eyes."

"That was Tara. She took off after Genkai tried to tell her what she really is. I'm trying to get to her before she gets too far." Kurama began running in the direction he was heading before he found Hiei.

"Well, are you going to tell me more" Hiei shouted after the boy.

"Go to Genkai. She'll explain" the red head shot over his shoulder.

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Tara continued to run. Unbeknownst to her, tears glided down her cheeks. All of a sudden, she just stopped. _Where am I?_ She glanced around only to see everything was bathed in a gloomish red light. Looking at the sky, Tara saw it was blood red.

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Kurama stopped in front of the portal to Makai. _She didn't come through here did she. Shit! She doesn't have any idea of what danger she's in now._ Kurama ran through the portal and sniffed the air for Tara's scent. Once found, he began to follow it throughout the Makai woods.

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_Damn! I have no idea where I am and I can't shake the feeling that something is following me._ Tara whipped her head around as she heard a twig crack behind her. She walked faster as she heard another snap. _What's out there? Oh Kami! I hope that it isn't hungry._

Tara came across a clearing as she sped away from her mysterious hunter. She stopped short, seeing a very familiar, very large black wolf in the middle.

"Nightstalker! I'm so glad to see you" Tara cried as she ran towards the wolf.

"Do you know what danger you have put yourself in?" Nightstalker snarled with ivory fangs glistening. Tara stopped in front of him. The wolf pounced on the girl and placed his heavy paws on her shoulders. "You've just waltzed right into Makai! You could've been killed. You are such a silly kit!" The wolf continued to grumble to himself.

"Are you done fussing cause if you are, I would like to breathe" Tara said quietly. The wolf walked off of Tara and sat with his tail wrapped around his feet. Tara sat up and looked at her moody friend.

"So...What's so dangerous about this place?" Nightstalker snorted.

"What's so dangerous is that this is the demon world. You could easily be killed."

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Kurama caught scent of Tara again, but he realized it was drenched in fear-smell too. Quickly he called out hoping to find her.

"Tara! Tara, where are you?"

_Damn that girl for running into Makai. I swear she is like a child sometimes. _Kurama began searching nearby bushes, praying for his mom's friend's daughter to be alright.

Out of nowhere, a blood curdling scream echoed through the forest. _That was Tara!_ Kurama ran toward where he thought it originated.

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"Tara, get behind me" Nightstalker growled as he faced the large demon in front of him. The demon had thick, purple skin and claws covered in what Tara hoped wasn't blood. Yellow fangs poked out from his upper lip.

"Move old dog or I'll gladly wipe you from this earth" The demon said in a raspy, deep voice. Nightstalker laughed a wolf-laugh.

"I'd like to see you try dung face!" At that moment the lizard-like man sent a blade of light at the wolf. Dodging it, Nightstalker pushed Tara out of the way of a second blade.

Tara just watched as her friend battled the demon. Horrified, she saw the wolf get tossed against a tree and watched his body slump to the dirt. The demon advanced on the terrified girl and raised his claws as if to strike. Tara closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to land.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to see what happened and saw Kurama holing back the hand with a whip made from a rose. In one flick of his wrist, the whip changed to shred the demon into pieces, spattering the ground with greenish blood.

"You alright Tara" Kurama asked while crouching down to be eye level with the girl. Tara only launched herself into the boys chest, sobbing. Kurama, not really knowing what to do, just carefully wrapped his arms around the girl. He realized that the girl was quivering so bad it made him shake as well.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here." Kurama picked the girl up bridal style as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling.

"Kurama" Tara asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes?"

"What was that horrible thing?" Kurama looked down at the girl in his arms.

"It was a demon. One of many that live in Makai. Not all are like him. Some are nice. Most are mean though."

"Are they all that ugly?" Kurama, after hearing this, chuckled.

"No. I am a demon. I hope you don't think I am that ugly."

"Goodness no. If you were, I wouldn't have let you come near me. You know, I can walk on my own now."

Kurama set the girl back on her own two feet. "We should leave now." Tara looked up at him and smiled, sending shivers down the boy's spine. _What are you doing to me Tara?_

"Ok! Sounds good to me. I'm getting hungry." Tara and Kurama walked together and out of Makai.

--------------------

"So Hag, you are telling me that I was tossed into a tree trunk by Shyrikon's daughter. Well that is interesting." Hiei leaned against a wall in Genkai's house. His red eyes glared at the old lady as she answered his question.

"Yes Hiei, I am. She is more powerful than you think."

--------------------

Kurama and the girl stopped as they noticed that their path was blocked by two demons. One had black hair and grey dog ears sat on top of his head. The other had blonde hair with light tan dog ears. Both were wearing black-blue armor with silver spikes sticking out of the shoulders.

"Hello Princess Tarasri. Your father sends his regards." The black-haired demon said as the two of them bowed to the confused looking girl.

"What are you talking about? I'm no princess. And my name is Tara." The blonde stepped forward.

"Oh, but you are. Your true name is Tarasri. Sadly, that treacherous witch hid your true form. We're here to bring it back. Lazan, hold the boy." The black-haired one called Lazan disappeared, only to reappear, holding Kurama down on the grass. The blonde pulled out a needle filled with a bluish-purple liquid and grabbed Tara.

"What are you doing? Let me go." Tara squirmed in his grasp.

"Let her go! She didn't do anything to you" Kurama yelled out as he tried to get free.

"Relax. It won't kill you, hopefully" the blonde whispered into Tara's ear as he stuck the needle into her neck. After injecting the odd mix, he pulled the needle out and both of the strangers disappeared.

Tara slumped forward as Kurama caught her. "We have to get you to Genkai's. Don't worry Tara." Kurama picked her up and sprinted towards the old temple.

--------------------

"Is that what happened?"

"Yes." Genkai's face turned grave as Kurama replied.

"Then this is serious. Put her on the bed. I will do the best I can. She is morphing into her true demon form and it isn't exactly painless."

"Will she live?"

"If she is as strong as she seems, then she might."

Kurama set Tara down on the bed nearby. The girl writhed in pain and her face was covered in sweat.

"Please hold on Tara. Please."

--------------------

Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnnnnnn!

SGK: Another cliffy! Sorry it took so long to update! I had major writers block. Smashes block with a large mallet But it left on vacation!

Aya: You should dye your hair blonde.

SGK: What's that supposed to mean?

Aya: rolls eyes Anyway... Read and Review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, I wouldn't have to write fan fics!**

I am sooooo sorry that it is taking me so long to update. I had a huge burst of inspiration and was on a roll. This chappie is super long! It was 18 pages on my computer so you might not want to print it out or anything!

Lingo

"Blah" Talking

'Blah' mind talking/ talking in your head, someone quoting someone else directly, or a title of someone that someone else is talking about.

_Blah_ thinking

**_Blah_** someone's other half speaking in their owner's mind (AN: like Yoko talking to Kurama in his head)

Chapter 3: New Appearances Can Be Deceiving!

Dream

Tara stood next to Nightstalker on a large cliff overlooking a valley. The valley was shrouded in mist and was set on fire as the sun rolled over the hill. Every tree top shone with gold and every dew-covered blade of grass glittered.

'Nightstalker, why am I here' Tara mind asked, gesturing to the valley below.

'This is the sacred land for us wolves. No one bothers us here and we can prosper. I wanted to show you so you would know what it looks like if you ever need to find allies.' The wolf brushed his cold, wet nose against Tara's collarbone. After removing it, Tara felt a sudden weight against her neck.

'What's this' she asked, holding up a chain necklace with a blue crystal dangling from it. A silver paw held on to the globe and was attached to the chain.

'It is for protection. With it, you have the wolves' spirits protecting you. Don't lose it.' With that, the wolf disappeared.

End Dream

--------------------

Tara bolted upright, drenched in sweat. _This isn't my room. Where am I?_ Listening to some noises she heard, she found that her hearing had quadrupled in its sensitivity. _This is new. I've never been able to hear this good!_ She went to rub her ears, only to be shocked by the fact that she couldn't find them. Suddenly, she felt something twitch on top of her head.

Tara walked over to where a nearby mirror was and gasped. She found that she had two black, fuzzy wolf ears resting on her head. _OMG! What happened to me!_ She unexpectedly felt something tap the back of her legs. Turning, she saw a long, fluffy tail that shined blue-black. _Holy Freaking Crap!_ Tara ran clear out of the room, merely to fall down a small flight of stairs.

Kurama, Hiei, and Genkai looked at the strange looking girl that was lying in a heap on the floor.

"Ow! That hurt" the girl whined. Kurama got up and walked over to poor Tara.

"You ok?"

"No" she yelled smacking his hand away. Shocked, Kurama just stood watching the girl.

"Well, what's wrong then?" Genkai stood up, walking to the now distraught girl.

"Look at me! I have wolf ears that I'm sure aren't normal for a human. I have a tail, which I know wasn't there before." Looking down at her hands and feet, she squawked. "I have claws on my hands and feet! What else is there? Fangs?"

"As a matter of fact..." Genkai said as she tugged the girl to another mirror. Tara squeaked as she saw two very sharp, very pointy fangs poking out of her mouth.

"What happened to me" she wailed as she crumpled to the wooden floor.

"Remember those guys that caught us yesterday in the woods?" Tara nodded her answer. "Well, they injected some weird formula into you that caused your true form to come out."

"What form is that? The boogey man. After all, now I'm just a monster! I might as well start hiding in closets and under beds." Tears ran down Tara's face as she rested her head on her knees.

Kurama bent down and raised the girls head up so she would look him in the eye.

"You are not a monster. You are a wolf demon and a very powerful one at that. Don't freak out over such small things. Besides, I like the ears" he said, scratching her ears like a dog. Out of the blue, a low, rumbling noise rose from her chest. Kurama laughed.

"Are you purring?" Tara clouted his hand away.

"No! Don't do that. I'm not a dog."

"No, but you know you liked it." Kurama snickered as the girl gave him a heated glare.

"Stupid bakas" Hiei growled as he watched the exchange. Someone abruptly knocked on the door.

"I'll get it." Kurama hurried to the door. Opening it, Yusuke and a blue haired girl tumbled in.

"Whoa! Who's the cute wolf girl in the corner" The black-haired boy asked as he walked in. Tara growled.

"It's me, Tara... and don't call me cute or I'll bust you a new lip. Better yet, I might just let all that air out of your head." (AN: No offense Yusuke fans. I love him too! Runs from mob)

Hiei snickered as Yusuke stared open-mouthed. The blue haired girl tittered on with Genkai and whipped around quickly to stare at the girl on the floor.

"So, you're Tara?" Tara turned to the bluenette.

"Yeah! What of it blue bells?" Botan smiled at the nickname.

"I'm Botan. Head Deity of Death." Botan held out a hand, as if to help Tara up.

"So, you're like the grim reaper. Hmmmmm, I always thought the grim reaper would be...I don't know...less effervescent" Tara said as she was helped to her feet.

"That's what a lot of people say." Tara smiled. _She seems to be a good person. I might have just made a new friend._

The two girls looked at each other and busted out in a fit of giggles. Hiei and Kurama watched, wondering what was so damn funny and Genkai just sat down, sipping her tea. Tara began laughing so hard that she started to hyperventilate. Botan tried to calm her down, but was having her own problems with breathing. Tara fell to the floor and started breathing normally again. Botan sat in a nearby chair.

After the laughing was done, Kurama asked "What was so funny?" The two girls looked at him and chimed "She's crazy!"

"Ok, well if you two are done being stupid, then we can get on with what Botan was really here for" Genkai snapped.

"Oh, right! Those demons that caused Tara's transformation are working for Shyrikon. We have to find out why they did it and what Shyrikon wants. Koenma has asked Reikai Tantei to take on this mission." Botan noticed the strange look Tara had on her face.

"Who's Reikai Tantei, who's Koenma and what would a powerful demon want with me?" The brunette asked. Botan explained everything to the girl as Hiei and Kurama held their own discussion.

"I wonder...why would one of the most powerful lords in Makai want anything to do with her" Hiei said, motioning to Tara.

"Genkai said that they were related."

"I know that! But still...she may have a powerful ki, but she doesn't know how to fight."

"Genkai can help her with that!" Yusuke blurted.

"Who asked you?" Hiei sent a glare to the newest member of the conversation.

"You know, you might just have something there, Yusuke" Genkai said as she wandered over to the huddled boys. Yusuke smirked at Hiei as the fire koorime rolled his eyes.

"Tara, would you come here for a second" Genkai asked, motioning to the group. Tara stood up and walked over, leaving the deity behind.

"What is it?"

"I want to run a test on you, just to see your strengths." Tara nodded her consent. Genkai placed two fingers against the girl's forehead and a purplish-blue light enveloped her head. Suddenly, Tara screamed out and collapsed to the floor.

"Genkai, what did you do to her" Botan asked fearfully. Kurama paled considerably. _Please let her be alright._

--------------------

Dream State

"Ow! What was that?" Tara looked around only to find that she was no longer at the temple. She sat on lush, green grass next to a bubbling river. Looking up, the sky was a brilliant blue with wisps of clouds floating here and there.

"Hello Tarasri. I am glad you have finally come to Ansrama" a soft voice said. Tara squeaked as she turned towards the angelic voice and saw a very large, white wolf sitting with her tail curled around her paws. A set of white angel wings were folded against her back.

"Who are you and what is this place" Tara whispered in terror. The large wolf grinned and scooted closer to the girl.

"There is no need to be frightened. I am Sita of the Clouds. I am the Guardian of the Air. This place is close to where Nightstalker brought you last time. This is the sacred land of the wolf. The name itself is elfish for Rune Beauty or Beautiful Rune." (AN: I have drawn a pic of Sita, pronounced see-tah. If you wish to see it, e-mail me and I will send it to ya!)

"Ok. That's pretty cool. So I'm guessing you have guardians of all elements, right?"

"Yes. There is Oceo of the Sea, Jarah of the Night, Eir of Light, Bael of Stone, and Tahl of Fire. (AN: Pronounced O-see-o, Jar-uh, I-er, Bay-ell, and Tall.) You will meet them sometime later. As for now though, I wish to talk with you alone. I see you have turned into your true form. You will need training though. I leave most of that to the old one with hair like a dull rose, but I will teach you the art of transmogrification, scenting, hunting, and calling upon the wolves for help. It won't be easy so I hope you have enough strength. We shall have training twice a week, no more, no less, until I am sure you can handle more and I will never lower the amount because then we would never get anything done. Alrighty then, let us begin with scenting." The wolf never gave Tara a chance to protest.

The wolf nudged Tara's head up. "You're sniffing the air, not the dirt. We will learn ground tracking later today." Tara used her newly extra-sensitive nose to pick out all of the smells from the air. Finally she came across a sweet and earthy scent. It was laced with a sharp, bitter smell. "That is a frightened rabbit you smell." Tara looked over to Sita. "Fear is the sharp, bitter smell. If you would like, I could give you a short lesson in hunting."

"Fine by me."

"Alright. First, keep your tail and body down. Stay down wind of your prey. Step softly! Rabbits hear everything. Most of the time they feel the vibrations through the ground." Sita showed Tara the steps for hunting. It actually looked awkward for Tara, since she is half-human. "Make sure to go for the throat. Use fangs and claws. Don't be too slow either! You must be as swift as a coursing river, fast as lightning. Now go!"

Tara darted forward and caught the rabbit in her jaws. Warm blood trickled into her mouth and she savored the sweetness of it. _Mmmmm...No nasty metallic taste. I could get used to this!_

"Good job Tara. I didn't think you were such a natural." Tara sat with an already half devoured rabbit in her grasp.

"I'm not. I just have a good teacher." Sita playfully cuffed the girl's ears.

"Quit sucking up to me. Now, hurry up and finish eating so we can get back to training." Tara bolted down the rest of the meat and the two continued to train as the sun began to set.

--------------------

Kurama sat with Tara in the girl's new room at the Genkai Temple. Occasionally, the girl's ears would twitch and she would let out a frustrated growl. _I wonder what she's dreaming of._ Kurama reached over and brushed some of the brown locks out of Tara's face.

"How is she, Kurama?" Botan walked in to see that Kurama hadn't moved since Tara collapsed.

"I think she is dreaming of hunting. Her ears keep twitching and she keeps growling in her sleep." Botan watched the pained expression on the red-head's face. _I hope Tara wakes up soon because I don't think Kurama can take this very much longer._

"I'm sure she'll be ok. Don't worry so much Kurama." Botan waved a goodbye as she stepped out of the room.

--------------------

Tara growled out for the bazillionth time. "I can't get it. I got the air scenting, ground scenting, and hunting basics. Why can't I get the transmogrification basics?"

"Relax. Pups must learn to bark before they howl. I think we should move on to the calling of allies now." Sita glanced at the sky in thought. "Oh Dear! It is way past my time of keeping you here. You must go for now."

"What? Go where?"

"Home! Oh, and you mustn't tell anyone of this 'training' ok?"

"Alright. Bye Sita" Tara said as she faded into the night. _I wonder what that was all about. Oh well...Man I'm so tired._

End Dream State

--------------------

Tara opened her eyes. At first, she almost panicked because all she saw was red, but that was until she realized it was Kurama's hair. He had fallen asleep against her bed with his head on her chest.

"Kurama? Kurama? Get up!" Kurama groaned as Tara tried to push him up to a sitting position. Suddenly he bolted upright as his cheeks were stained a bright rose.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Tara. I was just so tired, I must have fallen asleep while sitting up, but I guess that I fell over and..."

"It's ok, I understand" Tara said, interrupting him. "So how long have I been out of it? 3 hours? A day?"

"You've been unconscious for almost a week." Tara's mouth dropped open.

"What! OMG! My mom must be so worried. Kurama, can you tell Genkai I'm going home. Thanks, bye!" Tara threw the last part over her shoulder as she ran down the stairs. She was so caught up in her worries over her mom, that she didn't notice the sad expression on the boy's face.

--------------------

Tara used her newfound speed to sprint home. As she neared her house, she smelt fresh baked bread, spices, and several million other scents. She ran through the thresh-hold of the front door after unlocking it. Charging up the stairs, she found her mom putting away some fresh laundry.

"Mom! I am so sorry! I forgot to call you and tell you that me and my friend...um...Botan were going on a small trip and wouldn't be back for a while. I am so, so, so, sooooo sorry. Please don't be upset." Tara ran and hugged her mom.

"It's ok. Next time, just give me a quick buzz before you go." Mrs. Kaita said as she hugged her daughter. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her legs. "Um, Tara?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Are you aware that you have dog ears and a tail?" Tara turned around to glance at her tail. _Oopsie! Forgot to mention that._ Tara slowly guided her mother to her bed and sat her down.

"Here's what happened..."

--------------------

Fast Forward: 1 hour

"Oh, dear! I guess I should have told you sooner. Your father was a powerful wolf demon. His name was Shyrikon. Apparently, through his bloodlines, there runs a gift for controlling certain elements and your Grandmother, Rajahna (AN: pronounced as it looks!) told an old poem. It is said to tell of an ancient legend."

"Do you remember it?"

"I think so. Here it goes:

Alone in the night, A cry so lonesome

Feel the fire pulsing through your veins

As shadows creep and crawl, a force to reckon with dawns

In the light of the moon, life is wrought

Against the snow, blood spills and mixes

To bring about disaster, the night one must give in

To prevent a tragic loss, she must win

As the chaos fires billow in the painful wind

The one winner arises, torn and bloodied

No one, but she, may win

If it is not so, then the world is to go to ruin

The last of her kind place their lives on her shoulders

For her to bear alone.

The mother of wolves, the queen of the pack returns with a coat as black as night

To protect her pack and territory, she must know all

Of wolf, element, human, and heart

The four necessities needed to survive.

Said one shall rise as the last bloodless king dies

This is the tale and the fate of the wolf is up to her.

May she win

May the wolf live on

Together forever in Ansrama

I think that is the whole thing" Tara stared at her mother. _Ansrama. That is where I was._

"Could you maybe write that down for me."

"Oh, I have the scroll of it that Rajahna gave me. I'll go get it for you" With that, Mrs. Kaita left the room. Tara sat, staring at the floor, thinking. _OMG! I have black fur on my ears and tail. But I don't have elemental powers. I don't understand the rest. I guess I should take this to Genkai. She seems to know a lot._

"Here you go Tara. I guess you would like to have a shower and some sleep after such a long trip. I'll leave you be for now. Goodnight." Mrs. Kaita walked out of her daughter's room.

Tara stood up and stretched. _I would like a shower._ She walked out of her room and into the bathroom across the hall. Stripping off her smelly clothes, she hopped into the now steaming shower. _Mmmmm, I forgot how wonderful a hot shower feels. Next time I'm at Genkai's, I'll have to ask where the bath is._

"Ahhhhhh" Tara sighed. "I needed that." She now sat on her bed with the scroll in her hands. She wore some black baggy pants with a green t-shirt that said "I lost my marbles yesterday and I have only found 3 of them so far" in yellow writing. (AN: I made that saying up, but if anyone has a shirt that truly says this, then you are awesome!)

'Tap, Tap, Tap!' Something hit her French doors leading to the balcony. Tara looked up and fell off the bed in shock. She swiftly bounded over to the doors and opened them.

"Kurama, what are you doing here" Tara hissed at the boy as she stepped aside to allow him into the room.

"I think you left this behind." Kurama held out a small picture of a girl, who looked to be about five with hair like Tara's and eyes of the bluest skies. (AN: If anyone guesses the name and artist that I got that line about the eyes from, gets a cookie!) The girl was wearing a blue sundress and matching sandals. Another girl, who looked like the first , only older like around ten, stood behind her. They were both smiling and giving the camera a victory v. (AN: you know, the peace sign, Japanese style!)

Tara gently took the photo from Kurama. Only then did the boy notice her hands were shaking and that her eyes were holding back tears.

"Tara, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. This was my sister and me when we were little."

"What happened." Tara sat on her bed and Kurama soon followed.

"She became...very ill. The doctors called it something like Pneumonia. She cried, due to the chest pains and could barely breathe. I couldn't go near her because doctors feared I might catch it. Do you know what it's like to see someone you love, lying in a bed, crying out for you and your mom and you not even able to be in the same room? I watched her drown in the fluids from her own lungs, not able to even ease her pain. The doctors, ha! They said they did everything they could. Yeah, right. Everything my ass! I watched as she slowly died. Piece by fucking piece! A part of me died with her. Never again will I see her smile or laugh." Tara shook with rage as her body was racked with sobs. "Never again will I trust 'them'. They killed my little sister inside the little box they called her room. Hell, the place wasn't fit for a rat."

"Calm down, Tara. It's alright, I'm here."

"I just hate how they let her die like that. Oh...Here is a prophecy my Grandma told my mom" Tara said as she handed Kurama the scroll. After glancing at it, he tucked it away, in his blazer's pocket.

"I think I should take this to Genkai. Will you be okay?" Tara looked up and quickly hugged Kurama. However, He wasn't quite ready for it so they both toppled off the bed. Tara ended up straddling Kurama's waist and was inches from his face. Kurama had grabbed onto the girl's hips when he fell, as he was trying to prevent her from hurting them both. All in all, they were in a very compromising situation. Suddenly the door opened and Tara's mom walked in.

"Oh, Tara, I was wondering if...you...um, never mind. I'll let you two lovebirds have fun. Just make sure to use protection" Tara's mom said as she closed the door.

"It's not what it looks like" Tara hollered after her mom. Tara turned back to see if Kurama was alright. She just then realized exactly what position they were in. See, Tara was sitting on a very sensitive spot and all her squirming had a certain effect on the boy under her. Quickly jumping off of her friend, Tara began to ramble on about how sorry she was. Kurama just sat up and began to stand.

"I am so sorry. I really am. Please don't be angry. Next time just push me off!"

"It's ok. I know it was an accident. I really must go now. See you tomorrow at school. Bye."

"Well he left awfully fast" she said as he seemed to disappear out of her room. Tara lay down in her bed and promptly fell asleep.

--------------------

Dream State

"Time for training, Tara. Today we are working on calling allies."

"Hurried as always, Sita. Ok then. I'm ready." Sita threw her head back and howled a lonesome sounding howl. The notes rose and fell like the tide as the wind seemed to carry them to distant lands. Suddenly, five wolves appeared around Tara and the guardian. Black, grey, tan, white, and brown wolves milled around the clearing.

"Whoa, who are these cuties?" One of the wolves, the brown one, jumped up and planted its large paws on Tara's thighs.

'I am Riksha. I come from a valley a few miles south of here' the wolf's gentle voice said in her mind. Tara patted the wolf's head and smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you Riksha."

"These are a few of our allies. I figured they would be the easiest for you to summon, so, these are your new training partners." Sita walked over to Riksha and growled something Tara couldn't hear. "Well, let's begin!" Sita said as Riksha walked over to join the other wolves.

Sita sat next to Tara and helped her get the hang of howling. "Relax and just let your emotions bubble to the top. There! Now throw your head back and let the sounds go."

"Aaarrrrrrooooooooooooooooooo" Tara let the song rumble out of her chest and across the night air.

"Good. Now, call out to Riksha with only your howl."

"Um...I'll try." Tara threw back her head and let the song call out to Riksha, who had disappeared.

"Good. Now look around." Now, not only was Riksha there, but so were the four other wolves that had disappeared, plus three silver wolves.

"I did it!" Tara screamed in delight. She went over and asked each of the wolves what their names were.

'I am Berali' the black one said in a feminine voice. (AN: Pronounced bah-rail-ee)

'Nicani' said the grey one, also in a feminine voice. (AN: Nick-ahn-ee)

'Onis' said the white wolf in a masculine voice. (AN: ohn-iss)

'Daert' said the tan one, also a male voice. (AN: Day-ert) The three silver ones walked straight up to Tara. One had a red tail tip. Another had a blue tail tip. The last one had a purple tail tip. They all had orange eyes.

'Nai' said the red-tailed wolf in a male's voice. (AN: pronounced how it looks)

'Ariam' said the green-tailed wolf in a masculine voice. (AN: Air-ee-am)

'Saree' said the purple-tailed wolf in a feminine voice. (AN: Sair-ee)

'Pleased to meet you all' Tara said, practicing her mind-speak. With a flick of Sita's tail, the wolves disappeared, all except the three silver wolves.

"Why do you remain" Sita calmly asked the trio.

"We are not yours to command. Only hers" said Saree.

"I am the Guardian of the Air. You do as I ask! Now be gone." Sita snarled at the she-wolf. Saree tapped the ground and the guardian's voice was cut off.

"Enough. Miss Tarasri, we are your spirit-summons. We only leave your side if you tell us. No one else" she added, tossing a glower at the glaring Sita.

"So, I summoned you...how?"

"You called us with your spirit. You called for strong allies and we came. Next time, just call our names and we will come."

"Oh, that is so cool. Can I...um...pet you?" Saree glanced at Ariam and Nai and, after they nodded, she nodded their consent. Tara scratched behind their velvety ears and was rewarded with growls of happiness from all three wolves.

"She shall be nicer than the last owner" Ariam said puppishly.

"Yes, she shall" Nai said as Tara rubbed his head. Finally, Sita was able to talk again because she growled at Tara.

"You must go now. You have school tomorrow. Take care, little one."

--------------------

Tara woke up to her alarm clock blasting The Used's 'I Caught Fire'. (AN: me no own the band. I love this song though!)

"Geeze! I can't believe I got no sleep. What's weird though, is I feel as if I slept normally anyway." Suddenly Tara tripped over a white bundle of fur.

"OMG! What are you doing here? If my mom finds you, I'm toast!" Tara whispered angrily to the wolves currently occupying her floor.

"We always stay with you when we are summoned, until you dismiss us." Saree yawned as she finished.

"Ok, you can stay, but you have to keep hidden until I can find a good time to explain to my mom about you guys." She was answered by a trio of nodding heads. The three wolves wandered over to the open closet and walked inside.

"This is comfortable enough for us" Ariam said as he lay down. Tara smiled and carefully closed the door. Suddenly there was a rapping noise at her French doors.

_What in the world?_ Tara walked over to the doors and opened them. Yusuke, Botan, Kurama, and a brown-haired girl crowded into the room.

"Ready for school, Tara" Yusuke practically yelled as he ran into the room. Tara smiled.

"I still have to get dressed you teinousha! Now everyone go downstairs, except Botan and...um, what's your name?"

"Keiko" the brunette replied.

"Ok. Now all the guys get out!" The guys scampered out of the room and Tara listened to the footsteps going down the stairway. "Ok, you two know more about what to wear to school than I, so can you please help me pick something out?"

"Um...You have to wear the uniform. My and Botan are, see!" Keiko gestured to herself and Botan's blue shirt and same-colored, pleated skirt.

"I didn't get one. I left before I could." Botan and Keiko exchanged looks.

"I can fly over to Keiko's and grab one, but it might be a bit small and I'm the same size as her, so mine isn't an option either." Tara looked melancholy.

"What do I do about my ears and tail?" With this, Botan smiled.

"You know I am a ferry girl, right?" Tara nodded. "Well I can perform an illusion spell that should hide your appearance."

"You can? Oh Botan, you're bloody brilliant!" Tara broke out into a grin. (AN: My friend and I always say we're bloody brilliant when we do something stupid COUGHfallingdownstairsatschoolCOUGH I decided to put it in the fic. I know, completely irrelevant, right? I know it is!) As Botan flew off the balcony, Tara hurried into the shower and Keiko sat on Tara's bed.

--------------------

Tara sprinted into the room, blue toothbrush dangling from a frothy mouth and a large, black bathrobe wrapped around her body. Keiko giggled at the sight.

"Waf are ooo aftin at?" Tara mumbled through the toothpaste.

"Nothing. Botan should be here in five...four...three...two..." and as Keiko said one, Botan breezed into the room, uniform in hand.

"Here you go, Tara" Botan said, tossing her the uniform. Tara caught it and ran to the bathroom. She returned, dressed and ready to go.

"Alright! Let's go before we're late." Tara marched over to the door, Keiko and Botan following.

--------------------

"What is taking them so long. Kami, girls take forever to get ready." Yusuke and Kurama sat on the tan, leather couch in the living room. Yusuke continued grumbling about how long it was taking Tara to get ready. Kurama just sat, thinking.

_I wonder if she has a uniform. If not, she'll have to borrow Keiko's or Botan's. She is taking a little too long to get ready though. I hope she isn't piddling just for the sake of it. I'd hate to soil my record of...not...**Damn! She looks hot in that uniform. **Yoko! That isn't proper to think or say. **Oh, but you know it's true. Oh goodie! She's looking at you. Well, say something!**_

Tara had walked in and Kurama was blatantly staring at her. Apparently, the uniform was a wee bit too short and came to about a few inches above mid-thigh. The blouse/blazer hugged her curves well enough for any guy to notice how slim she was. Tara noticed the fox's attention and turned a rosy pink.

"Um, I don't want to look like a slut, so be honest. It isn't too short is it?" Yusuke shook his head. Kurama snapped back to reality as she turned to him for his answer.

"Not at all. I think it looks...um...nice. Different, but nice" Kurama stuttered. (AN: Awwww! Kurama stuttering, how kawaii! Sorry, On With The Fic!)

Tara blushed again. She walked over to the door and shouted bye to her mom before heading outside. Everyone headed out after her. Kurama shut the door since he was last.

"Why didn't yall come through the front door instead of going to my balcony?"

"We wanted to scare you, but when we saw you were awake, we decided to come through that way instead of going all the way around."

"Oh." Tara fell silent after that. She felt deaf to the world, now that her sensitive ears had been 'removed'. She also felt off balanced without her tail. _Kami, I am so tired. I wish I had more time to sleep. I wonder if I could track anything now. I'm craving a fresh rabbit or squirrel. It would be hard without my ears, but I still have my nose and fangs and...oh yeah, Botan got rid of those too. Damn. I'm completely defenseless._ Suddenly, the group came to a halt.

"Something's not right. The school is never closed on a Monday, unless it's a national holiday" Kurama said, glaring at the 'closed' sign on the door of the school. Suddenly, the wind picked up and Tara yelled

"Botan, remove the spell. Hurry!" Botan moved her hands around and the seals on Tara's illusion broke. Ears swiveled on her head and a long black tail fluffed out in fear and anticipation. Tara threw back her head and let out a terrifying howl. Ariam, Saree, and Nai appeared around the girl in a blink of an eye, shocking the others.

"I didn't know you could do that" Kurama said, looking at Tara for a reaction. All he got was a smile.

"I've had some training."

"By who?" Tara shook her head.

"Can't tell you who, but she's awesome." Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, she's an ally." Kurama relaxed a little.

"So, we meet again Yoko. I see you have friends. Ooo, who's the lovely wolf demon next to you." A man with orange hair popped up in front of Kurama. Matching orange ears sat on his head and a fox tail swished behind him. He walked over to Tara and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his icy blue eyes.

"Let go of me!" Tara swiped a clawed hand across the demon's face, leaving a trail of blood behind it. The demon laughed.

"You are such a feisty little thing, aren't you? You picked well for a teammate, Kurama." Turning, the demon saw Kurama, furious with eyes full of malice. "Judging from your attitude, I would say she is more to you than just a teammate."

"Raikou, let her go, now" Kurama growled through a raised lip, fangs glimmering. (AN: I don't know if Raikou is a real anime character, but His name means lightning and I thought it sounded cool so Naaynaah!) Tara saw how bloodthirsty her friend looked and she began to panic. _He's going to kill someone. Oh, Kami-sama! Why do I always end up on the lower end of a situation._

_**Kurama, calm down. You're scaring your girlfriend. **I don't care! I want that bastard to let her go. If I have to scare her in the process, then so be it! **She might not come back to you if you're in this state. Just calm down a little bit and then kill him. Frightening her isn't the greatest idea.** Oh, shut up! Since when did you start caring for her. **Since I saw how terrified you're making her. I don't like it when it's a lady with that look. Enemies, now that's a whole different story. **_

Kurama glanced at Tara and saw nothing but sheer terror in her eyes. He slowly lowered his lip. He sprinted towards the demon's left side, but quickly snapped to the right with his rose whip. The demon jumped out of the way, causing Tara to scream in alarm. She wasn't quite ready to be lifted thirty feet into the air.

"Put her down, Raikou!"

"You really want me to put her down?" A smirk spread across his face. "Well here you go, Kitsune." He let go of Tara and disappeared into the sky. Tara shrieked as she plummeted to the ground.

"Dammit" Kurama growled as he jumped up to catch the girl. She continued to scream as Kurama began to descend. "Tara, it's okay. You're not falling anymore." Tara shut her mouth as she looked up at her hero.

The two landed softly on the ground in the woods next to the school. Kurama set Tara on her feet. He looked her over for any injuries.

"Are you ok" he asked, touching her shoulder. She flinched away from it.

"No, I'm not. Do you know how scary it is to look up and see one of your friends looking like a bloodthirsty murderer? It is quite upsetting really, but I suppose you don't care. After all, you are a monster!" Tara's voice raised its level as she spoke, until she was yelling. Tears streamed down her face and Kurama reached out to wipe them away. Tara flinched again and ran off into the woods.

_**Way to go. I told you that you were scaring her, but nooo, you had to be all 'let me at him'. Well, don't say I didn't warn ya!** Shut the fuck up! **Oooo, someone has a temper. I'll go talk to her. She'll probably take off running again if you show up.**_ With that, Kurama and Yoko switched places. With more speed than Kurama, Yoko caught up to the wolf demon in no time.

"Whoa, what's the rush?" Yoko smiled as the girl sped up. "Oh! You want a race. I'll give you one then." Yoko sped up and jumped in front of Tara. Not able to slow down in time, Tara crashed into the fox. The two tumbled to the ground. Determined to not let her get away, Yoko made sure to pin Tara under him.

"We really need to work on your stopping." Tara growled as he said this. She did not like being pinned under a stranger, although he seemed awfully familiar. Yoko had Tara's arms pinned to her sides and, since he was straddling her, she couldn't move. Given that he didn't want to hurt her, he rested most of his weight on his arms, which were above the girl's shoulders, on the ground.

"Now, I have something to say to you. I am Yoko Kurama. You met me at Genkai's. I want to let you know that, if I am a monster and Kurama's a monster, then you are one as well, seeing as how we are all demons. I know my other half scared you, but he was trying to get Raikou to let you go."

"Well he certainly did a good job with that. I just loved being dropped to my death!" Tara snarled in the silver-haired fox's face. Yoko just leaned down and smiled, almost against Tara's lips. Her eyes widened. _OMG! What is he doing!_

"That wasn't his, or my, objective. He didn't expect Raikou to drop you like that. Quite honestly, he was terrified when he saw you plunge. He just about had a heart attack. You really shouldn't be so hard on him. I think he likes you and to be honest, I can't see why not. You are a little spitfire, ya know? I think I might just like you too. Hope Kurama doesn't mind sharing." With that, he closed the small gap between his and Tara's lips.

_Dammit Yoko! What are you doing? **Shut up. I'm showing her the affection you refuse to give to her. **Get the hell off her! **Alright, alright. I'm going.**_

"See ya round Tara. Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did." Yoko jumped up into the tree nearby and left Tara on the ground. Tara lifted a hand to her mouth. _What the hell was that all about? What did he mean when he said he hopes Kurama doesn't mind sharing._

Kurama had finally switched back to normal and was heading to where Tara was. _Dammit Yoko! Why did you do that? **Simple, really. I like her too. It seemed like she enjoyed it too. **What! She didn't kiss you back. **Yeah, but she didn't pull away either. **Whatever. _

Kurama saw the object of his and his counterpart's affection sitting in the precise spot she had been when Yoko left. She was currently petting the three white wolves that had come after she howled.

Kurama's POV

I saw her sitting with those odd wolves. I shuddered as I recalled the howl she made. I also remembered how scared she looked when I was arguing with Raikou. I never want to see that look on her face again and I am regretting the fact that I was the one who put it there. I'm not quite sure when I realized this, but I believe I have fallen in love with her.

Yoko, I suppose, was trying to help when he went after her. He did kiss her though, which sent me over the edge of anger and into a fit of rage. He wouldn't switch with me until I calmed down. I now stand here, watching her and waiting. I don't want to scare her again, but I need to talk to her.

Normal POV

Tara stroked Nai's fur as Ariam and Saree pressed their cold noses into Tara's neck for comfort. She was silently crying.

'I don't know what to think. Kurama terrified me with that look, but he saved me from falling to my death. His other half, Yoko, is so nice, but deadly looking. That kiss was so...'

'Nice?'

'Sweet?'

'Harsh?'

'Gentle. Not something I would expect from a killer or monster. I don't know what to do.' Suddenly the wind changed direction and Tara picked up the smell of roses. All three of her wolves began snarling in the direction behind Tara. She turned and saw Kurama walking towards her.

"I'm sorry for frightening you earlier. I am also sorry for my other half's...um...behavior. It was out of line, for both of us." He held out his hand, as if asking for a truce. Tara smiled. _Should I be difficult or fair?_

"It's ok. I overreacted." Tara froze as Kurama gently brushed her tears away. Sensing her discomfort, he drew his hand away from her face.

"How exactly did you summon those wolves?"

"I called them with my spirit. The green-tailed one is Ariam, The red-tailed one is Nai, and the purple-tailed one is Saree." Each wolf nodded to the boy, much to his shock.

"They are very lovely."

"Thank you" Saree said. Kurama all but fell over.

"They talk! Hmmm, very interesting. Do you think you can come to Genkai's for maybe a month or two?"

"Sure. Come with me to tell my mom." Tara grabbed his hand and dragged him back to where Keiko, Yusuke and Botan were waiting. Seeing Tara, everyone stood up.

"I'm going to hang at Genkai's for training, but first I have to tell my mom.

--------------------

"Okay, Hun. Have fun."

"Love ya, Mom!"

"Oh! Before you go, there is something I have to give you. Come with me." Tara and Kurama followed Mrs. Kaita upstairs. She led them to a door that was painted all black.

"Mom, I've never seen this door before. What's behind it?"

"You'll see." Tara's mom opened the door after making a gesture with her hand. Inside, Tara saw a pool as big as a large pond. In the center, a sword was stuck in the ground of a stone island. Tara felt as if the sword was calling her. She stepped out only to find a stone had pushed out of the water, right under her foot. She walked to the island, rocks popping up under her feet.

The sword was a katana with runes down the side of the blade. The sword was a bluish metal while the runes glowed silver. The hilt was black with a silver pommel. At the very bottom of the pommel was a medium sized head of a wolf with sapphire eyes. Lying on the ground was a black sheath with royal blue lining inside. Tara grabbed the sword and sheath and fixed the leather belt to her waist.

--------------------

Tara and Kurama walked downstairs, Tara with a duffel bag full of stuff. She had changed out of her uniform and into some jeans and red t-shirt that said 'Girls rule the field' in white on the front with a soccer ball next to it. (AN: One of my friends had this shirt years ago. No wonder I can't find it! lol, jk!)

"Thanks for the sword mom!"

"Don't thank me. It was passed down from your grandfather."

"Ok. I love you and I will call you as much as I can. Bye"

"Bye." Outside, Tara's wolves waited.

"Ok, let's get moving."

--------------------

SGK: Well, that's all for this week! I might have a new chappie coming up sooner than this one did! I am also working on a Wolf's Rain fic. Check it out when it's up, kk? See ya around!

Aya: Read and Review Please!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do, however, own my made up characters, so no stealing!**

Also...this chappie is gonna have a song in it! The song is gonna be in plain **bold. **Just sos ya knows!

Lingo

"Blah" Talking

'Blah' mind talking/ talking in your head, someone quoting someone else directly, or a title of someone that someone else is talking about.

_Blah_ thinking

**_Blah_** someone's other half speaking in their owner's mind (AN: like Yoko talking to Kurama in his head)

Chapter 4: Training

Tara, Kurama, and the three wolves walked to Genkai's. Tara walked ahead of everyone, gazing at the scenery. Kurama lingered in the back, calmly thinking to himself. _Why is she avoiding me? **Maybe it is because you scared the hell out of her. I think she is just scared of what you might do to her.** I'm not going to hurt her. She should know this by now. Besides, I wasn't the one who took advantage of her. **Well then, let's find out who she likes more!**_

Suddenly, Kurama was switched with Yoko. Tara didn't notice the change till he came up and put his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who!"

"Ummm...Kurama, this isn't funny."

"I'm not Kurama" Yoko whispered sexily into her ear. _Okay, this definitely isn't Kurama. Now, who do I know smells like roses, but isn't him? Oh no! It wouldn't be..._

"Yoko?"

"Bingo!" He released her and she turned around. Tara glared at him for a second then did something that caught the thief completely off guard. She reached up and began feeling his ears like he was a dog. A low rumbling sound rose from his chest and came out like a half moan, half purr. He leaned into her hand as he continued to 'purr'.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a cat" Tara laughed. Yoko gave her a pointed glare and jerked his head away.

"Don't do that!"

"Why not? You seemed to enjoy it and besides, you have the cutest ears ever!" She went to touch his ears again, but Yoko stepped aside and laughed as she missed.

"You're not going to get them!"

"But?"

"No!" Yoko took off in the direction of Genkai's. Tara ran behind him. Without realizing it, they reached the top and were boxing each other playfully. (AN: Sorry if Yoko is a little OOC) Genkai walked in and fussed at them. Tara, surprised from the old woman's entrance, tripped over a chair leg and would've hit the floor if Yoko hadn't caught her.

"You are such a klutz." Tara's response was to stick her tongue out at the fox. "One of these days, I'm gonna bite that tongue off and you won't be able to annoy us with your annoyingness."

"Annoyingness isn't a word."

"It is in my dictionary."

"I didn't know you were smart enough to have one!" Yoko ignored the jab at his pride as Genkai sat down for some tea.

"I suppose you're here for training. Ah! I see you have a sword. Hiei can help you with that. I, on the other hand, shall teach you of your elemental powers. Yes, you have them" she added as she saw the queer look Tara gave her. As if on cue, Hiei waltzed into the room. "Hiei, you shall teach Tara your sword fighting skills. You begin now."

"What! I have to train some silly whelp in the best fighting art..." And that's as far as he got before Tara clawed his hand that was pointing at her. He barely even flinched, but did turn to glare at her.

"I told you before, Munchkin, not to call me 'whelp'! I am not a child" she yelled. Hiei looked incredulously at the woman who dared challenge him.

"I am not a munchkin, as you so lightly put it." He looked her up and down, eyes coming to rest on the intricate sword on her hip. "Where did you get such a sword?"

"It was passed down through my family." Hiei reached for it, but drew back as blue sparks snapped around the hilt. Tara gasped.

"Don't you know what power your own sword has?"

"No, I never owned a sword before. Much less, use one!" Tara was beginning to get annoyed with the Koorime.

"Kami, training with you is gonna be hell!"

--------------------

"Kaim, what are we going to do? Without the Queen of the Wolves, this is a lost battle. We must get her here as soon as possible!" A golden brown wolf sat beside a river. Another wolf that was a crimson red sat on the ground below. The crimson one turned to gaze at the golden one and opened his mouth, as if to speak. (AN: Name is pronounced Kay-mmm)

"Touhi, I know. She isn't ready to come here in person yet. She needs more time." The golden wolf sent a heated glare to the red wolf. (AN: Pronounced Two-he)

"What do you mean?" Kaim turned his acid green eyes towards the river.

"How can we be sure she is the one?" Touhi looked at the red wolf and then turned his icy blue eyes to the sky.

"Only the guardians know. We can only speculate." Kaim laid his ears flat against his head in frustration. Touhi watched his friend as he too began to become perturbed with their situation. Suddenly, a large shadow was cast over the two wolves.

"Heads up" cried a deep voice, sounding as dark as night. A massive black wolf landed on the ground. Blood-red, bat-like wings with a black skeletal structure spread out by at least ten to fifteen feet. They quickly folded onto the wolf's back. The wolf had to have been at least the size of a small to medium sized horse. A large black cord sat around his neck as a necklace. A black stone dangled from it

"Hello Jarah. What brings you to Crystal Creek" Kaim snapped to the regal looking wolf. Jarah snarled at the smaller wolf.

"That's Lord Jarah to you! I wanted to check up on how things were going." Reddish-brown eyes glared at Kaim.

"Jarah, I told you I was going to check on the Crystal Creek area!" Jarah turned to see a humongous wolf-mermaid thing. The 'wolf' was blue-green in hue and had scales instead of fur. Its tail was more like a mermaid's. (AN: You know, with the fin at the end.) Around his neck was a necklace similar to Jarah's and Sita's, only it had a blue crystal. (AN: I forgot to mention last time that Sita has a necklace like these only it has a purple crystal.)

"Hello Oceo! I forgot which area I was going to. Sorry bout taking your job."

"Bullshit! You just didn't want to have to fly in the rain! I guess I'll have to go check out the Draku area. You are such a lazy ass!" With that, Oceo jumped into the air and 'swam' westward. (AN: You know, like Chinese dragons do, or at least I think they do!) Jarah grinned.

"Oh dear, I upset the great Oceo, Ruler of all royal pains!" He shouted after the odd, blue wolf.

"Do you two ever stop arguing?" A large, stony-grey wolf sat next to Jarah. She turned her hazel eyes to him. Around her neck hung a Malachite stone on a black necklace, similar to Jarah's. (AN: Google the image of malachite if you don't know what it looks like. I will tell you though; it is a really pretty green stone!)

"I just like to annoy him. After all, we are brothers."

"You'll never change! I'm surprised you two are brothers. He is so much more peaceful than you."

"Bael, he didn't seem so peaceful five minutes ago!" Bael laughed and out of her back sprung stony-grey angel wings, about as big as Jarah's wings.

"Let's go find Tahl and Sita. I hope their news it good."

--------------------

Hiei and Tara stood in the middle of a clearing. Both had their swords out and Tara was moving around, shadow blocking. (AN: Blocking an imaginary partner! In Orchestra, we do shadow bowing if we forget our instruments. It makes you look really funny when you try to play an invisible viola, which is my instrument, looks like a violin only slightly bigger and has a different string.) Hiei did the motions with her, only a lot smoother. Tara continued to roughly block and swing at her 'opponent'.

"Try doing it a little more smoothly. If you screw up in battle, your mistakes may cost you your life!"

"I know, I know! I'm trying as hard as I can."

"We've been working for two weeks on this one thing and you still can't get it!" Tara threw down her blade.

"No, I can't! I'm sorry if I can't be perfect. I'm still just getting the hang of being a demon! Why don't you just fuck off already! Even Genkai is easier on me than you, and that is saying something!" As Tara continued to rant, she poked Hiei in the chest. Unbeknownst to her, a black flame rose around her body, shocking Hiei. Tara took his silence as him ignoring her and she stormed off.

Hiei bent over and picked up some blackened grass. _Hmmm...She seems to have elemental powers and not even know of them. _He then walked over to the sword and tried to pick it up. It crackled with blue lightning and he stepped back. _Doubt anyone will take it anyway._ Leaving the sword behind, he walked back to Genkai's.

--------------------

Tara ran into the forest, ignoring the branches scratching her face and arms. Blood trailed down her face and arms from the many cuts she was getting. She kept running until she came across a pond. The water gleamed in the sun and the surface reflected the clouds floating in the sky. The water was a clear blue and Tara walked to the edge and sat down. Glaring at her reflection, she saw a sad little girl with drooping dog ears and scratches everywhere.

"Stupid! I can't do anything right!" Tara lifted her head to the sky and shouted "Why me! Why do I have to be a demon? Why couldn't I be a normal human girl?" Suddenly, her shouts turned into howls that rose and fell with the sadness in her heart.

The notes climbed higher and then would suddenly drop low and rise up again. The sound of her voice tore at the hearts of the animals that heard her. Birds quieted their cheerful singing and squirrels stopped their chattering. Tara felt her emotions wash over her and sweep her away like a tide. She felt as if her heart was in a vise and was being squeezed as tight as it could go. _I just want to let it all go. I want to fade and not have to feel like a failure. I want to...I want to be loved. I want someone to care and to tell me everything is alright and I don't have to cry anymore. I want to not feel like the dirt on someone's shoe; the eyelash in their eye; the thorn in their side._

The song of the wolf reached a heartbreaking tone and the animals slowly gathered around the sad girl. A familiar black wolf walked out of the trees and lightly pressed its nose into Tara's neck. Tara turned and hugged the burly wolf around the neck and cried.

"It's ok Tara. Let it all out."

"I...don't want to be the failure I am. I want to know that I am worth something to someone, not my mom either! I know she cares, but she's supposed to. I want someone that doesn't have to, but loves me anyway! I hate being this...thing. I don't even know why the hell I am like this!" Tara's voice cracked with emotion as she yelled into her friend's fur. "Nightstalker, why? Why me?"

"Because, you are the Queen of the Wolves. I'm not supposed to tell you this until later, but you need to know. You were born to Shyrikon and your mother. You already know this, but what you don't know is that your grandfather on your dad's side was also a wolf demon. His name was Haru and he was the greatest king of the wolves. He never killed anyone without reasons, and good reasons at that! You know how the legend says that the Queen will come after the last bloodless king dies. Well, that king was your grandfather. You are the queen of the wolves!"

"But it also says that she has to know wolf, element, human and heart, and has to protect her territory and pack. I don't have a pack or territory. I don't have any idea what it means by element, heart, human, and wolf. I just have the black coat and timing." Suddenly, all the gathered animals scattered and Kurama walked into the area.

"It means you must know how to fight as a human and wolf and with elements and love. Your pack is all the wolves, your friends and family and your territory is Ansrama and your home here."

"I don't have any elements though!"

"On the contrary, Hiei told me you have the power of fire. Your father and grandfather had the power of wind so you could have that power too."

"What do you mean 'had'?"

"Your grandfather is dead and your father doesn't have the power of wind anymore. He lost it after he massacred several wolf packs. Nature turned its back on him after that."

"Oh." Tara became silent after this. She sat, brooding over all that she has learned while Kurama and the wolf guarded her. "But why me? Why can't some more powerful demon be the queen?" Kurama was startled by her outburst of anger and sadness.

"Because, no one else is a wolf demon, a girl, has elemental powers, and was born after the last bloodless king" Nightstalker growled. _Yoko, what do I do? Her howl just about killed me and seeing her so angry over this hurts. I don't want her to be like this! **Ah...you're in love! I think she just needs to know that someone cares for her besides her mother.** But what if she hates me! She is already scared of me. **Give her time. I am sure she doesn't hate you!** I don't know about that._ Kurama snapped back to attention just in time to hear Tara say something that crunched on his heart.

"No one cares, but you and my mom! I want someone who loves me for me, but I don't want to be hurt like my mom. Dad left her with a shattered heart and I don't want to have the same happen to me. I'm...scared...to be hurt like that. To be hurt so completely that you never truly recover. To be hurt so bad you want to die. I...I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me because of that."

**I will not make the same mistakes that you did  
I will not let myself  
Cause my heart so much misery  
I will not break the way you did,  
You fell so hard  
I've learned the hard way  
To never let it get that far **

Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid

I lose my way  
And it's not too long before you point it out  
I cannot cry  
Because you know that's weakness in your eyes  
I'm forced to fake  
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life  
My heart can't possibly break  
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt

Kurama felt bad to see how lonely and scared she looked. She looked as if she wanted love, but was scared of what it could lead to. _Sounds like me long ago._ Kurama slowly pulled Tara to her feet and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"It's ok. You are going to experience hurt in your life eventually. The important thing is to not let it hold you down. You can't just crash and burn. You have to roll with the dice and pick yourself up again. Plus, you will always have friends to back you up and help you get back on your feet. I will be there for you." He stressed the last part by tightening his hug. Nightstalker grinned and walked off. _Young pups in love. It is so cute._ Tara slowly returned the hug.

"Why? Why do you care Kurama?"

"Because..." _Should I tell her? No! It will scare her away. _

"Because why?"

"That is what friends are for."


	5. Author's Note

**Author's note!**

I am SO SORRY!!! To all my fans, new and old, please bear with me. I know I haven't updated on any of my fics for more than 3 months, and there are several reasons and causes to explain.

**1.** Every time I go to write another chapter or continue to work on one, I get a new idea for a completely new fic entirely.

**2.** Every time I go to write another chapter or continue to work on one, there is no inspiration to continue.

**3.** I have recently found that the guy I like might possibly like me back and it has pretty much put me off my fantastic fic-writing mood.

**4.** My mom has been on this new forum and won't let me get on the computer what so ever. In fact, she and I got into a huge argument over letting me on the computer to do HOMEWORK! Hello, last time I checked, homework is supposed to be more important than her forum.

**5.** I have also been out of town on a few occasions, mainly because my Great-Grandmother is getting up there in age and is becoming quite frail.

And lastly...

**6.** I finally got a social life instead of being a homebody. (Not to say other authors don't have one, but my mom gets home at about 6 pm and she doesn't know about fanfiction because I know she wouldn't approve of it no matter what I did to insure it is in fact a safe site!) My friends have been happy with me getting out of the house more, but it seriously lessens the amount of time I can spend on fanfics.

I hope all of you can forgive me for not updating in so long. I am hoping to get my writing mood back and look forward to that day. And please note; **THIS IS NOT A STRING OF EXCUSES, BUT RATHER A LIST OF TRUE REASONS WHY I HAVE BEEN MIA!**


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